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Southerncoasterer said:
I think a lot will depend on how much capital expenditure budget is cut or deferred to 2022 due to their financial situation. We know they cut 40 million from 2020 (expect skeleton crews this summer, and lower than low capacity). Will they suspend capital expenditures all together for 2021, Limit or defer them?

We know any ride SFMM adds will have a multi purpose. 50th anniversary celebration (you can’t do that in 2022), first to 20th coaster marketing (someone may catch them if they wait too long), and a major annual pass driver.

The company has been hit with a double whammy. A terrible, stock diving year, and a frigging pandemic. And SFMM in particular underperformed. And that’s only going to get worse if they don’t add anything to attract guests back to their tiered membership plans. Still, this could go either way at this point imo.

However, the park did manage to build Terminator:Salvation the year after the financial crisis of 2008.
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I have yet to figure out how this park makes money when they charge nothing for a full year to get in, and then charge only $80 for a full years worth of food. Don't get me wrong. I have both and take full advantage of it. I just don't get it. Especially when I can use it at all their parks. MM should be a separate entity within the company. Those having memberships at other parks should not be let in free to MM. It is the money maker for the chain.
 
tacalert said:
Yes, they are over. And it's obvious Thurman doesn't want to be there. He is a nice guy, but my feeling is he doesn't want to run MM.
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He told me personally that he misses Texas.

Coaster wars may be over, but let's not forget this is pretty much a clone, something SF had been installing seemingly forever. Jersey Devil is a deceptively cheap, compact design than can be plopped down almost anywhere.

Kinda like Intamin mega lites, but at a cheaper price.
 
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tacalert said:
I have yet to figure out how this park makes money when they charge nothing for a full year to get in, and then charge only $80 for a full years worth of food. Don't get me wrong. I have both and take full advantage of it. I just don't get it. Especially when I can use it at all their parks. MM should be a separate entity within the company. Those having memberships at other parks should not be let in free to MM. It is the money maker for the chain.
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I don't think SFMM is the money maker for the chain at all. It's yearly revenue is off set by huge operating costs. And they have to keep adding rides to keep the teens coming back year after year. Especially now that the park operates every day.

Without new rides, it's easy just to cancel your membership and do something else. They've painted themselves into a nice little corner. Too much competition in Southern Cal for things to do.
 
tacalert said:
All in all, I think the 50th is going to be a dud. A simple clean up of the park would have been fine for me. DL gets away without adding anything new for their anniversaries. Why can't MM?
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Disney land goes for DECADES before adding a major attraction. SFMM has a reputation of adding something every year (or at least, attempting to).

And while I wouldn't argue a clean up (which, some credit should be given... it's been happening in phases--The Underground, Steamworks, Full Throttle Plaza, etc.), SFMM just doesn't have a reputation in atmosphere. It's thrills and more thrills.
 
tacalert said:
I have yet to figure out how this park makes money when they charge nothing for a full year to get in, and then charge only $80 for a full years worth of food. Don't get me wrong. I have both and take full advantage of it. I just don't get it. Especially when I can use it at all their parks. MM should be a separate entity within the company. Those having memberships at other parks should not be let in free to MM. It is the money maker for the chain.
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This! I don’t understand how Six Flags can keep prices so low ESPECIALLY at this park with its higher operating costs. The highest dining pass plan and the lowest membership offering year round access w/parking is dirt cheap. This chain offers way too much for its lower tier passes.
Knott’s has higher attendance and charges much more for their passes and plans. They also reserve many of the good benefits like free parking for the highest tier passes!
 
Ron101 said:
This! I don’t understand how Six Flags can keep prices so low ESPECIALLY at this park with its higher operating costs. The highest dining pass plan and the lowest membership offering year round access w/parking is dirt cheap. This chain offers way too much for its lower tier passes.
Knott’s has higher attendance and charges much more for their passes and plans. They also reserve many of the good benefits like free parking for the highest tier passes!
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Thank you. That is what I was trying to say above.
 
Southerncoasterer said:
I don't think SFMM is the money maker for the chain at all. It's yearly revenue is off set by huge operating costs. And they have to keep adding rides to keep the teens coming back year after year. Especially now that the park operates every day.

Without new rides, it's easy just to cancel your membership and do something else. They've painted themselves into a nice little corner. Too much competition in Southern Cal for things to do.
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Curious as to who you think the money maker is.
 
tacalert said:
Curious as to who you think the money maker is.
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No one. Six Flags basically gives away the gate with dangerously low pricing, and offsets that by understaffing every department. Jim Reid was a master at over hyping short term numbers based on his cheap membership tiers, but no idea how to grow the company. They were one bad year away from being in trouble. They just had that year...and then the guy bailed.

Good riddance.

I should add that both SFMM and SFGadv should both be the money makers of the chain. But neither is treated that way.
 
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Six Flags as a whole would be better with a condensed lineup of parks and new management. Imma just say that Six Flags as a whole goes under from this ordeal, and a new company sweeps the parks up.

Remaining parks:
  • Six Flags Magic Mountain
  • Six Flags Great Adventure
  • Six Flags Great America
  • Six Flags Fiesta Texas
  • Six Flags Over Georgia
  • Six Flags Over Texas
  • Six Flags New England
  • Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Closed/Sold off parks:
  • Six Flags St Louis
  • Six Flags America
  • Six Flags Darien Lake
  • Six Flags Mexico
  • La Ronde
  • Great Escape
  • Frontier City
Two of the remaining parks get a big new coaster each year, with a three year gap that each park can fill with minor additions if they so choose. 40 million dollar coaster budget each year. Admission and Annual Pass prices are raised. Each park is given a new coat of paint and some nature, food quality and merch is improved. Each park gets new branding. The animal elements of Great Adventure and Discovery Kingdom are removed as cost-cutting measures. KEEP THE DC AND LOONEY TOONS BRANDING, but add more theming and introduce more new ideas. STOP TRYING TO EXPAND THE COMPANY OVERSEAS. IT'S NOT WORKING. Add more unique flat rides and more water rides.

That's just my ideas.
 
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Southerncoasterer said:
No one. Six Flags basically gives away the gate with dangerously low pricing, and offsets that by understaffing every department. Jim Reid was a master at over hyping short term numbers based on his cheap membership tiers, but no idea how to grow the company. They were one bad year away from being in trouble. They just had that year...and then the guy bailed.

Good riddance.

I should add that both SFMM and SFGadv should both be the money makers of the chain. But neither is treated that way.
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Agreed.
 
That article was from April 9th when Universal announced their closure would extend until at least May 31st - it was just speculation based on the park's statement.

But given the recent developments, I'm hopeful we get some new information soon.

EDIT: I just realized this is the SFMM thread?
 
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A new news article just come out from OC Reginster/Daily News, saying they are looking into required faces masks, social distancing, temperture checks... and virutal queuing. I didn't expect that last one from Six Flags, but good for them. Also possibly capping attendance at the parks to 25%, which is pretty low. I'm imagining most parks are going to need a reservation to get in, similar to the Flex Pass AP system at Disneyland, because they're be a lot of disappointed people otherwise.

 
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Mid June would be the absolute earliest any SoCal parks might open, but at this point, I would guess that August is more likely. If only one park in the region was open, I wouldn't feel safe since it would seem that park opened early because they were desperate for money. I think that multiple parks would need to be open in the same region to send a message that it is safe to go to them.
 
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